Recently, materials to form color images have particularly been a mainstream as an image recording material, and specifically recording materials for the inkjet method, thermal transfer type image recording materials, recording materials using an electrophotographic method, transfer type silver halide photosensitive materials, printing inks, recording pens and the like are frequently used. In addition, color filters are used for LCD (liquid crystal display) and PDP (plasma display panel) in displays and for electronic parts such as CCD (charge coupled device) in photographing equipment. These color image recording materials and color filters employ coloring matters (dyes or pigments) of three primary colors for so-called additive color process and subtractive color process in order to reproduce or record full color images, but it is the case that there is no coloring matter which has absorption characteristics to achieve a preferable color reproduction area and is durable under various use conditions, so their improvement is strongly desired.
The inkjet recording method has been rapidly prevailing and further growing because the material cost is inexpensive, rapid recording is possible, noise in recording is less and also color recording is easy. The inkjet recording method includes the continuous method where ink droplets are continuously flown and the on-demand method where ink droplets are flown responding to an image information signal, and its discharge method includes a method where ink droplets are discharged by applying a pressure to piezoelectric elements and a method where bubbles are generated in ink by heating to discharge ink droplets, a method using an ultrasonic waves, a method where ink droplets are sucked and discharged by electrostatic force, or the like. Further, examples of ink suitable for inkjet recording include water-based inks, oil-based inks, solid (hot melt type) inks or the like.
Requirements on a coloring matter to be used for ink suitable for such inkjet recording are that it has good solubility or dispersibility in solvent; allows high density recording and has a good hue; is durable against light, heat and active gases (oxidizing gases such as NOx and ozone, and other gases such as SOx) in the environment; has excellent fastness against water and chemicals, good fixation on record-receiving materials, resistance to bleeding, excellent storage stability as an ink and no toxicity; also is inexpensively available, and so on. In particular, a cyan coloring matter is strongly desired which has a good hue of cyan, is excellent in light fastness (durability against light), ozone fastness (durability against ozone gas) and moisture fastness (durability under high humidity), and does not exhibit bronze phenomenon (which is also called bronzing phenomenon). Bronze phenomenon means a glare phenomenon caused by that coloring matter is aggregated on the surface of glossy paper due to association or aggregation of coloring matter or insufficient absorption of ink into medium, and has metallic luster. If this phenomenon occurs, all the aspects such as glossiness, print quality and print density are inferior.
The typical skeleton for water-soluble cyan coloring matters to be used suitable for inkjet recording is phthalocyanine or triphenylmethane skeletons. The typical phthalocyanine coloring matter to be most widely reported and utilized includes phthalocyanine derivatives which are classified into the following A to H.    A: known phthalocyanine coloring matters such as Direct Blue 86, Direct Blue 87, Direct Blue 199, Acid Blue 249 and Reactive Blue 71    B: the phthalocyanine coloring matters described in Patent Literatures 1 to 3 and the like(for example, a mixture of Cu-Pc-(SO3Na)m(SO2NH2)n: m+n=1 to 4)    C: the phthalocyanine coloring matter described in Patent Literature 4(for example, Cu-Pc-(CO2H)m(CONR1R2)n: m+n=a number of 0 to 4)    D: the phthalocyanine coloring matter described in Patent Literature 5(for example, Cu-Pc-(SO3H)m(SO2NR1R2)n: m+n=a number of 0 to 4, and m≠0)    E: the phthalocyanine coloring matter described in Patent Literature 6(for example, Cu-Pc-(SO3H)l(SO2NH2)m(SO2NR1R2)n: l+m+n=a number of 0 to 4)    F: the phthalocyanine coloring matter described in Patent Literature 7(for example, Cu-Pc-(SO2NR1R2)n: n=a number of 1 to 5)    G: the phthalocyanine coloring matters described in Patent Literatures 8, 9, 12 and the like(phthalocyanine compounds where the substitution position of the substituent is controlled and phthalocyanine coloring matters where a substituent is introduced into the β-position)    H: benzopyridoporphyrazine coloring matters having a pyridine ring and a benzene ring described in Patent Literatures 10, 13, 14 and the like
Phthalocyanine coloring matters recently used widely in general which are represented by Direct Blue 86 and Direct Blue 199 have a characteristic that they are excellent in light fastness compared with magenta coloring matters and yellow coloring matters which are known in general. Phthalocyanine coloring matters are not so preferred as a cyan ink because they have a greenish hue under acidic conditions. Therefore, these coloring matters are preferably used under neutral to alkali conditions when used as a cyan ink. However, if a record-receiving material to be used is acidic paper, it is possible that the hue of printed matters change largely even though the ink is neutral to alkali.
In addition, if a phthalocyanine coloring matter is used a cyan ink, the print density is decreased because the hue of printed matters is changed to a greenish color as well as color fading occurs because of oxidizing gases such as nitrogen oxide gas and ozone which are often raised as an environmental issue in recent years.
On the other hand, triphenylmethane coloring matters have a good hue, but are very inferior in light fastness, ozone fastness and moisture fastness.
Hereafter, inkjet recording will have a larger application field and be also used widely for articles on exhibition in advertisement and the like, resulting that coloring matters and inks to be used there will be more and more strongly required to have a good hue and be inexpensive as well as excellent in light fastness, active gas fastness in the environment and moisture fastness because they are more often exposed to light and active gases (oxidizing gases such as NOx and ozone, and other gases such as SOx). It is, however, difficult to develop a cyan coloring matter (for example, a phthalocyanine coloring matter) and a cyan ink satisfying these requirements at a high level. So far, phthalocyanine coloring matters provided with active gas fastness are disclosed in Patent Literatures 3, 8 to 12 and 14, but any cyan coloring matter or cyan ink has not yet been achieved which satisfies all such qualities as hue, light fastness, ozone fastness and moisture fastness, does not exhibit bronze phenomenon, and can also be inexpensively produced. Therefore, the market requirements have not yet been sufficiently satisfied.    [Patent Literature 1] JP S62-190273    [Patent Literature 2] JP H7-138511    [Patent Literature 3] JP 2002-105349    [Patent Literature 4] JP H5-171085    [Patent Literature 5] JP H10-140063    [Patent Literature 6] JP H11-515048    [Patent Literature 7] JP S59-22967    [Patent Literature 8] JP 2000-303009    [Patent Literature 9] JP 2002-249677    [Patent Literature 10] JP 2003-34758    [Patent Literature 11] JP 2002-80762    [Patent Literature 12] WO 2004/087815    [Patent Literature 13] WO 2002/034844    [Patent Literature 14] JP 2004-75986